conversations

deep cramps of stress
inside, outside
neck, intestines
woven through bone

from new people, new rooms
talk talk talk

such careful effort it takes
to thrive in a human ecosystem

but the leaves require no invitation to their celebration

a spider does not require you to say,
"hello, where are you from?"
just lands right in your space
it knows you are from right here
right now
trying to breathe peaceably

the wind does not care if you are on time
unlike tidy human schedules
where tardiness is a demerit
where you cannot gust in and out as you please

I am not required to speak at all
or to adjust myself
but to be present
under a canopy of easy green